Aggies earn right to whoop it up by beating No. 1 Alabama

Texas A&M receiver Ryan Swope's fourth-quarter catch gave the Aggies something to shout about on their way to the win.

Photo By Karen Warren/Staff

Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin pushed all the right buttons for his young team Saturday.

Photo By Karen Warren/Staff

Texas A&M fans, from left, David Cunningham, Daryl Heath and Kyle Walker get their photos taken in front of the Bear Bryant statue before the start of Saturday's game in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Photo By Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle

Texas A&M wide receiver Ryan Swope (25) catches a pass over Alabama defensive back Robert Lester (37) during the second half of a college football game at Bryant-Denny Stadium, Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012, in Tuscaloosa.

Photo By Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle

Texas A&M wide receiver Mike Evans (13) just misses catching a pass in the end zone against Alabama defensive back John Fulton (10) during the second half of a college football game at Bryant-Denny Stadium, Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012, in Tuscaloosa.

Photo By Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle

Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) as the touchdown was called after review during the first quarter of a college football game at Bryant-Denny Stadium, Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012, in Tuscaloosa.

Photo By Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle

Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) scrambles for yardage during the first quarter of a college football game at Bryant-Denny Stadium, Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012, in Tuscaloosa.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - You could argue that Texas A&M has earned more important victories than it did Saturday in its 128 years of playing college football. That's a lot of history.

Maybe some victories were more important during the Aggies' undefeated seasons of 1917 or '19 or '27 or, certainly, of '39, when they were undisputed national champions. Or maybe in 1957, when they were regaining national prominence with running back John David Crow becoming the university's only Heisman Trophy winner. Or maybe you could even argue the 1999 victory over Texas was more important from an emotional standpoint, coming a few days after a tragic bonfire accident, with even the Longhorns band playing "Amazing Grace'' to honor the 12 who died.

But you couldn't argue it on Saturday.

Memorable play after memorable play came down to one play that will never be forgotten in Aggies lore, an interception by sophomore defensive back Deshazor Everett on fourth-and-goal from the Texas A&M 2-yard line with 1:36 remaining.

That preserved the Aggies' 29-24 victory over Alabama, the nation's No. 1 team, proving without question that Texas A&M is not out of its league in inarguably college football's best league, the Southeastern Conference, and elevating a local legend into national prominence as quarterback Johnny "Football" Manziel, a mere freshman, scrambled onto the short list of Heisman candidates.

Even Paul "Bear'' Bryant would have had to appreciate this game.

Or maybe we should say especially Bear Bryant because the legendary coach is so indelibly linked to both universities.

Waking up echoes

That is particularly true of Alabama, where the stadium, Bryant-Denny Stadium, again was filled to its capacity of 101,821 on a cloudless fall Saturday afternoon. The university, in a move exuding class, invited Aggies who had played for the late Bryant during his four years at College Station onto the field for recognition in a pregame ceremony.

This game woke up the echoes.

Texas A&M, which entered the game as a 13½ point underdog despite losses only to highly-ranked Florida and LSU and its own No. 15 ranking, struck quickly against the nation's most dominant defense, scoring on its first three drives for a 20-0 first-quarter lead against a team that had allowed only six points in the first quarter of its first nine games.

Alabama responded with the composure expected of a team that had won two national championships in its last three seasons while losing a mere four games in four seasons, one at home. The Crimson Tide trailed by only six, 20-14, at halftime.

Then it got interesting.

Alabama kicked a field goal in the third quarter to cut its deficit to 20-17, no doubt giving the crowd visions of the Tide's fourth-quarter comeback the previous Saturday in Baton Rouge in a thrilling victory over LSU.

The Aggies didn't share the vision.

Wide receiver Ryan Swope said the team was particularly emotional on the sideline.

"We knew what was at stake for us,'' he said. "We knew that we had to take over and start making plays.''

In the end, that's what it came down to. The Aggies made more plays, quieting a crowd that so prides itself on its ability to rattle visiting teams that it measures its decibel level on the scoreboard. It reached 115 at points during the fourth quarter. A bit higher, according to OSHA, is pain- inducing.

Sumlin's guiding hand

The Aggies had beaten a No. 1 team only once in 11 attempts, never on the road. The 10-year anniversary of that lone victory, 30-26 over Oklahoma, was Friday, and the offensive coordinator for the Aggies during that game was a young Kevin Sumlin.

He is now head coach of the Aggies, having arrived this season after four years in the same position at the University of Houston, and has taken a team not expected to exceed the six victories of last season to an 8-2 record, including 5-2 in the conference.

"As a coach, you always think you are going to be able to win,'' he said. "We said that from the beginning, and everybody kind of laughed.''

But not everybody, including Sumlin, knew the kind of quarterback, much less leader, Manziel would become. He wasn't even the starting quarterback going into preseason workouts last summer.

'A lot of magic'

If everybody didn't know it by Saturday, they do now. He was Johnny Houdini during the first half, at one point escaping two would-be tacklers behind the line of scrimmage, fumbling, recovering the fumble and throwing a 10-yard touchdown pass to Swope.

At halftime, Alabama coach Nick Saban said Manziel "has a lot of magic to him.'' He showed it again after the Tide had cut the lead to three, the Aggies rallying for the next nine points. That included a touchdown coming in a startling 33 seconds after perfect strikes of 42 and 24 yards by Manziel for a 29-17 lead.

"There hasn't been a moment too big for him,'' Sumlin said.

The moments after that were reserved for the defense, the one for the ages coming on Everett's interception when it appeared that the Aggies, as has been their reputation in big games over the last two seasons, would again succumb to a comeback.

Not this time.

"I told our guys that we wouldn't have to play a perfect game,'' Sumlin said. "But I told them we would have to play a complete game.''